I ride a compact 50/34 with a 11-34 cassette. With the wider range cassette, 97% of the time I'm in the 50 tooth up front. The wider spacing works for me since it's reduced the amount of down and up-shifting. But, this also means my cadence varies more, like within 10 rpm's versus 5 rpm's. if you prefer closer gaps and tight shifting, then the compact may no be an upgrade.

Really this depends on the terrain you ride in and your style of riding if this is a good swap or not.

$560 would be a good investment on N+1, could be a good reason for the next bike. Or at least go out and test ride some bikes in the gearing you're thinking of.